Photographer arrested on sex crime involving a child, Richland County sheriff says
A Columbia-area photographer was charged with a sex crime involving a child, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said.
Gregg Martin, 53, was arrested April 8 after deputies received a report of him taking inappropriate photographs of a young girl under his care, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
Investigators determined that Martin groomed the child and gave her illegal substances, according to the release.
Martin was charged with engaging a child under 18 for sexual performance in addition to unlawful conduct toward a child, the sheriff’s department said.
Jail records show Martin is no longer being held at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Richland County court records show Martin was granted a $25,000 surety bond for the unlawful conduct charge, but information on a bond for the other crime was not available.
Martin is scheduled to appear in court again on May 27, judicial records show.
If convicted on the felony charge of engaging child under 18 for sexual performance, Martin would be guilty of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and would face a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.
Unlawful conduct towards a child is a felony charge and comes with a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, per South Carolina law.
Martin has a business, Gregg Martin Photographic Design. His website includes galleries of pictures he’s taken, including several of young women and high school students from across the Midlands. Martin’s professional and personal Facebook pages have been deleted.
Sheriff Leon Lott asked any other potential victims to come forward.
Anyone with information about Martin is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
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This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 12:51 PM.
